The tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks comes later this year. There will, no doubt, be much attention paid to this marker in time, and much review of what we have learned and where we now stand. Many…
Read MoreAuthority or Leadership?
In olden times, we like to think, society accorded great authority to clergy. Whether or not this rosy generalization stands up to scrutiny (it does not), we mainstream clergy certainly have lost some of the cachet our counterparts enjoyed from…
Read MoreSpiritual But Not Religious?
Loyalty to religious congregations may seem to be waning among some people and many articulate their concern as a suspicion of the “organizational” aspects of religious communities or their leaders. This outlook might get expressed in a variety of ways,…
Read MorePathways to Leadership that Lasts
In her Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, historian Debby Applegate tells the story of how Beecher became, during the middle of the nineteenth century, deserving of Abraham Lincoln’s claim that he was “the most influential man…
Read MorePlanning for the Spirit
Is ministry really all about programs? Is that all there is to life in a faith community, one program after another? In one sense, ministry is all about programs. In another sense, it has nothing to do with programs. On…
Read MoreAsk Alban: Religious Preference
by Larry Peers Q: It seems that a growing number of people indicate that their religious preference is “none”—or say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Is there anything that congregations can do differently? Are we becoming irrelevant? A. Loyalty to religious…
Read MoreCENTERview: How Do Congregations Learn?
by Tim Shapiro Two congregations in Indiana are from the same protestant denomination. They are located in similar neighborhoods. One congregation has increased their mission giving by ten percent this year, supports a group of 20-somethings who meet weekly for prayer…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: What Is Underfoot?
by James P. Wind The past four months have left most of us yearning for relief from the waves of resentment, vitriol, fear, and misrepresentation that flooded across our country as Americans conducted the ritual we call mid-term elections. Before we…
Read MoreMission and the Challenge of Difference
by William Sachs Doug is proud that First Church where he worships has an extensive mission commitment. In the downtown area where it is located, First Church operates programs that feed dozens of hungry people and house almost as many who…
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Leadership in Scarcity
by Mark Miller-McLemore | My church was located across from an abandoned strip mall and the local “No-Tell Motel,” where drugs and sex were peddled. We worked closely with homeless people through a shelter program in our building. It was a place…
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